Your mission...should you choose to accept it

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. (Hebrews 13:1-3)

Keep on...the call for the new year. It is not a time to sit back and just watch...it is a time to rise up and take action. Love each other...as brothers and sisters. No family is perfect. No relationship is always without stress or strain. We must work at loving one another as Christ loves us.

Three missions for the new year: 

Show hospitality to strangers. Give comfort, provide meals, present gifts, and lend them help. The Latin word “hospes” means “visitor”, so we are to look after and care for them. How can we make someone's life a little more comfortable? What act can we perform that will minister to their need?

Remember the prisoner. This doesn't always mean we visit or write to people in prison. It could be that we help their families as they go through the terrible experience of separation and loneliness. We may be their only friend at the moment, sober a great friend. We might become aware of a need to help clothe their child for the upcoming school cycle, or get those much needed repairs done on a rickety old car. Meet the need in both a practical and emotional way.

Don't overlook those who are being mistreated. No one likes to be treated cruelly or with unfairness. How can we be the balance they need in a world that so quickly judges them and rejects them because of their looks, economic status, or some other silly thing? The bully will always seek to mistreat the one they believe to be weak, so become the one who bolsters the strength of the one who is singled out for any type of mistreatment.

Keep on loving each other as Christ loves you. Their is no time like the present to begin to fulfill your mission. Your mission is clear, but will you accept it? Just asking...

He IS

Every now and again I run across an 'old school' preacher who will blurt out, "God is good", expecting the response, "All the time", from those he or she is around. It was frequently used as the 'affirmation' of our trust in his goodness and grace that we were expressing back in the day. We don't hear it very much in our local churches these days, but it is a good thing to remember - our God IS good. He isn't 'becoming' good - he IS good. He isn't enticed to 'do good' - he IS good. The state of 'IS' really means in the present tense, at this very time, without any hesitation, or without any concern that something exists - he IS good.

The Eternal One is good, a safe shelter in times of trouble. He cares for those who search for protection in Him. (Nahum 1:7)

Three short things we can learn from what our writer shares here today. First, God is good - even when we doubt his goodness, he never ceases to be good. It is his nature - he cannot deviate from his nature. He may seek to 'nurture' that 'goodness' within us, but it is something that he doesn't have to work on in himself - it is inherent in who and what he is. Goodness is inseparable from him - wherever he is, goodness is.

Next, it is important for us to see that in him is the greatest and most secure protection we can ever experience. Another term we could use here is that he is our refuge. See once again that he IS our refuge - our shelter, place of safety, anchor in hard times. We don't have to create a place of refuge - he IS that place of refuge. If you have ever been in the midst of something very troubling to your spirit, you might have realized all you had to do to feel 'protected' was to focus your mind on him. In so doing, you allowed all the danger or trouble you were experiencing to be shut out. You entered into what he IS at all times - our place of refuge.

Last, but not least, he is near to us at all times. It may come as a surprise to some, because they have sense him to be distant or farther away than they might have liked, but it is impossible to care for and protect those who are distant. Protection comes in the form of being near - being up close and personal with the one you are protecting. Does the bodyguard protect the individual they are charged with protecting from a distance? No, they do so by drawing near and staying there! The protection of God IS found in the nearness we maintain with him. Even when we don't sense he is close to us, we can rest in the knowledge he is never far from our heart.

God is good. He is our refuge. He is near to us - caring for us each step of the way. Three things we might just want to commit to memory and remind ourselves of from time to time. These are the things we sometimes forget when the battle is raging and the times are tougher than we'd like, but because he IS all these things, he never fails us. Just sayin!

No matter what...

Have you ever lost one of your children in a large mall, or at the park? I have and I can describe for you the moment of sheer panic when I realized they were gone - not just from my sight, but gone! They had disappeared quicker than I was able to appreciate and that moment of panic gripped my soul, sent my emotions into a spiral, and began to play scenes of terror across the screen of my imagination. I wonder what it would be like to see our 'separation' from God through is eyes...would we begin to see the extreme scenes of terror that cross his screen, as well? I think God has things in control, unlike us, but he is certainly deeply affected by any separation between us!

So who can separate us? What can come between us and the love of God’s Anointed? Can troubles, hardships, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger, or even death? The answer is, absolutely nothing. But no matter what comes, we will always taste victory through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35,37

Before I go further, let me assure you the kiddos were safe and sound, despite their momentary lapse in 'staying close to mommy'. They hid out in some hiding spot, thinking it was funny to see mommy go through sheer terror over their absence. When you finally find those kiddos, your emotions race from "I was so worried about you" to "I think I am going to strangle you" in about zero to sixty! While the kiddos might have experienced a moment or two of jubilee for having pulled a good 'gag' on mommy, God isn't all that excited about any of our sinful shenanigans! He is grieved by our separation - he feels that 'time away from us' deep within his heart.

Why is that? I think it is because he loves us so deeply! Why did I panic when the kiddos disappeared, ever so briefly as it may have been? It was because of how deeply I loved them and wanted to protect them from all manner of harm! God is no different - he wants to keep us from all harm. We, on the other hand, seem to enjoy getting ourselves into places where we shouldn't have gone in the first place. Even our 'dangerous' steps into places we were not supposed to go in the first place are watched over by our caring and compassionate heavenly Father. He may not have wanted us to go there, but he knows when we experience that 'panic' of separation from him, we will call out!

Sometime the 'separation' is our own fault - but at others it is because we have an enemy who wants nothing more than to cause us to panic. We cannot always 'mitigate' or 'maneuver around' his attacks, but we can 'manage our heart' through them! We can remain consistently under God's wing and never have anything to fear. That is what I wanted my kiddos to know as they were growing up - mom would take care of them, no matter what. God wants us to know he will take care of us - no matter what! Just sayin!

Inside my skin

"Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too." (Frederick Buechner) 

Whose 'skin' have you been living in this week? I know a good many individuals who never 'get out of' their own skin long enough to realize what it is like living in someone else's skin. Their days are filled with 'me', 'me', 'me' - leaving little room for any other concern a brother or sister may be enduring. It is a truly sad existence to never get out of one's skin! Compassion isn't given any other way. The genuineness of one's caring is really not 'felt' by the other person until the 'compassion connection' is really made.

It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor—what a blessing! (Proverbs 14:21)

The other person is overtaken by something that causes great pain for them. They may or may not reveal their pain openly, but know this - it is painful nonetheless. Be the kind of friend that recognizes their 'hidden pain' even when they are not yet comfortable admitting it exists. There is sorrow inside that other person's skin - you will discover it when you crawl inside their world for just a while. There is no joy felt deeper than when it is the joy that comes from sharing the burden with another who is hurting, fearful, or lost in their pain.

What is your neighbor's need? Sometimes we think we have to know someone so well in order to understand or acknowledge their need. Trust me on this - you can learn a lot about a person by walking a while in their skin! You may not know them well when you start the journey, but you will get insight into their life very quickly when you take that first step. It doesn't take much to lift the spirits of the one alone in their pain, sorrow, or fear. It takes you caring enough to do more than say you care! 

I don't know what it is like to lose a leg, but a good friend of mine has experienced it first-hand. Her struggles are real. Her pain is more than 'adjusting' to life without that limb. I haven't lost a child, but I have friends who have. Their pain is not just for the loss, but there is sometimes a sense of guilt for having 'outlived' them. I may not know that loss, or those feelings of pain, but I am able to understand they don't need to walk alone. I don't need to tell them their loved one is in a 'better place' - that isn't what they need to hear. They just need me to 'get inside their skin' a while and walk with them through that grief. If we want to be Jesus to the world, it starts by being Jesus to each other. Just sayin!

Hallmarks of Care

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy." I like how the Message interprets this passage as 'at the moment you are "care-full" - you find yourselves cared for'. There is a saying in both scripture and common day that reminds us we reap what we sow. There is a direct link between us sowing seeds of "care" and reaping a reward of being cared for. As many of you have discovered over the years of following this blog, I am in the role of a caregiver - mom having come to live with me about 11 years ago. It has been a lot harder than I imagined at times, but it has equally been as rewarding! There are lots of ways we sow into the lives of others - not just to receive something in return - but because we sense how blessed we really are when we begin to reach out to sow into the lives of another. It might not seem like we'd receive much blessing in the 'toil' of sowing, but remember that the farmer only receives the crop because he has done a whole lot of work to realize any harvest!

Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. (James 3:17-18)

When we are "care-filled" (full of care), we are looking out for the other person, not just ourselves. There is an extension of our lives that looks beyond what is in it for us and sees that there are others around us that need to be "cared for" in the midst of today's challenges. True "community" is built upon living right with God - but never forget that this is HARD WORK that requires consistency and integrity. Lives of 'care' don't just happen - they are built. The heart doesn't just determine to love others - it learns to love others. The mind doesn't just create goodness at every turn - it is persuaded to find goodness because the heart is turned toward Christ!

Extending mercy - being able to care about another's thoughts, opinions, or desires - in the midst of not understanding why it is that they are acting a particularly harsh way is sometimes quite challenging. We don't "naturally" want to respond with "care" or "mercy"! In fact, if we were totally honest here, we'd probably like to tell them off! The moment we realize there are some "community-traits" that need our attention we will be more apt to help one another to always be "care-full" in dealing with each other - regardless of how our 'help' is received at that moment. Sometimes our parents won't be patient with us - not understanding why it is we don't want to stop what we are doing to do what they want done, or listen when they want to tell us the story that will take some time for them to fully explain. Even in those moments, we have the opportunity to be 'care-full' with one another!

We are to be gentle with each other. Two words to describe this trait - compassionate and considerate. We avoid severe, rough, condescending responses - even when the other guy may be struggling with these responses themselves. This is the idea of turning the other cheek. Rising above the emotion of the moment and extending a kindness where it may be least deserved is hard, but the sowing of kindness instead of harshness will yield a positive reward. We are to be reasonable in our dealings. This means that we exercise sound judgment at all times. We don't respond "out of proportion" to the circumstances at hand. In other words, we don't get caught up in the emotion and allow those emotions to stir us into responses that are disproportionate to the facts! Emotion often outruns reason! We respond out of emotion, without all the facts, and then wonder why we have no sense of "community" or harmony in our relationships!

We are to be consistent with each other - for nothing bespeaks 'care' more than consistency. Not being hot one day and cold the next, up and down in our 'carefulness' with each other. Whenever we ride the roller-coaster of being okay one day and then out of sync with each other the next, we always struggle to keep our "community" together. Learning to bring balance, order, and proportionate response to circumstances goes a long way to keeping us on even ground in our daily relationships. Dignity and honor - the hallmarks of a strong community relationship - are the outcome of learning to live "care-full" lives. It isn't easy work, but 'work' rarely is! Just sayin!

Seeding and Reseeding

All growth begins with a solid 'planting'. It is Fall in Arizona, which means those of us with Bermuda grass all summer are scalping it low, sowing loads and loads of Rye seed, and awaiting the beauty of that bright green to emerge once again. Yes, we Arizonans are silly enough to want 'year-round' grass! The 'sowing' of the seed is on top of the existing grass, making it necessary to scalp that Bermuda lawn down very, very low. This method sometimes involves people putting either steer manure over top of the Rye seed, or a topsoil for grass, but not all of us do that. Some of us just sow and hope the birds won't scavenge every last seed! When the milder days begin to produce the subtle warmth to produce the growth, the blades of Rye will emerge through, having 'taken root' where they were sown. They weren't exactly 'planted', but it is sown where it can make good contact with the soil, in hopes it will take root. All it takes is contact with enough of the right stuff and the blades will soon emerge, bright and green, tall and vibrant. All it takes for us is contact with the 'right stuff' and we will emerge in the beauty of new growth, as well!

That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (Ephesians 1:18 MSG)

It is the 'contact with the right stuff' that helps to produce a growth that is both 'intelligent' and 'discerning'. We actually do ourselves a disservice when we limit our contact with the things God has provided for our growth. Things like other believers, the Word, and time in service to others. We don't become 'intelligent' in the ways of God by osmosis. We learn of his ways from others - seeing how he moves in their lives often challenges us to 'change up' how we are living ours. It is the connection we keep with the Word of God, keeping it alive within us by taking in bits and pieces of it on a daily basis, that we are able to be nourished into fresh growth on a continual basis. As with all types of planting, there must first be the seed. The seed isn't worth much on its own - but once it is sown, the contact it makes is so very important. The right contact, combined with just enough nurturing to bring forth growth, and there will be an emergence of good stuff - you just wait and see!

As I put the seed out on the fresh scalped lawn, the first week was the most important, not only because it needed all the watering to occur so the soil never became dry, but also because I had to guard against all those flocks of hungry birds that stood at the ready to 'claim as their own' what I had just sown. I had to stay alert to the 'needs' of the freshly sown seed. It needed my protection and care. The same is true in our lives - as seed is sown into our lives, it needs a whole lot of attentive oversight in order to have a good chance of taking root and bearing fruit! This might just be why we are told to keep our eyes focused and clear - to be able to see clearly and take hold of that which is provided for us. The oversight of God in our lives never ceases, but the focus we must maintain is just that - maintained! It requires a revisiting of the places where growth is imminent in order to see that those places are being maintained, free of scavenging 'seed thieves'. 

Soon my lawn will be in, but until then, those emerging blades of new growth give me a hope that makes me excited about the next patch of growth and the next one. The full yard will one day be green and full, but each small patch right now encourages me to look for the next. This is how it is with our spiritual growth, as well. We don't see it all at once - it is an emerging thing. Little by little, because of careful attention, the seeds sown will produce signs of growth. As you may well imagine, some of the seed is stolen away by those scavenging birds. There might be the need to sow just a little more seed in some of those spots where they took their liberty to steal away the seed. This isn't dissimilar to what God does in us - sowing a little at first, then observing for signs of growth. If the places of our lives need a little 'reseeding' on occasion in order to produce the fullness of growth he desires, we need to trust him with that process. He sees the bigger picture and he knows where it is we are vulnerable. He knows the areas that most need his focus - and he isn't willing to allow us to have 'bald spots' without growth!

It might seem elemental to some to compare our spiritual growth to reseeding a lawn, but it isn't elemental at all. There is a process and the process takes much attention. God doesn't just 'seed' our lives and take a 'come what may' stand. He maintains his vigilance, not afraid to 'scalp us down', seed over past growth, and reseed as necessary, until there is a fullness and intensity in our lives that reveals nothing but the vibrancy of his presence within! Just sayin!

Promotion through demotion

For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another. (Psalm 75:6-7 TLB)

A lot of us think we got where we are today by some progressive achievement of skill, talent, and hard work. The real fact of the matter is that God promotes and he is the one quite capable of holding us back from promotion on occasion, as well! If you have ever been "passed over" for some important task, or perhaps that 'next step' on the corporate ladder, you might have felt a little slighted, or like you 'deserved it'. You get a little ruffled, especially when you see someone get the position that you absolutely know you had greater skill to perform the tasks or a greater familiarity with the work being done. There are just times we don't understand the choices some will make to promote one over another, or how some seem to avoid crisis after crisis while you muddle through. One thing I have learned to trust over the years is that the God I serve is quite capable of keeping me from things I don't really want to be involved in and promoting me into those places where I do need to be involved!

There are a lot of ways God 'promotes' or 'deposes' - it is more than in the realm of career ladders. Every part of life is filled with moments of one rising to the top and another stepping back a little. My kids learned how to ride a bike by me running behind. At first, they needed my support, so I constantly reassured them I would not let go - that it would be me holding them up. At some point, they showed me just how capable of remaining steady on those two wheels they could be and I let go. They were 'promoted' to being independent in riding the two-wheeler, free of training wheels or a helping hand from mom. For a while, it was all about me holding them up. After a little bit, there came that moment of truth when they looked back and realized I was no longer holding the bike upright. For just a moment, there was a look of panic, but it was short-lived as they realized they were doing well now that they had been shown how to ride.

All of life is about learning new things - we never really stop moving away from training wheels moments! There will always be times when we are being 'groomed' by God for the next steps he wants us to take in life - working diligently to give us everything we will need in order to succeed in whatever that venture may be. When God sees fit to 'let go' of us, it isn't because he wants us to be out there on our own - he is just giving us a moment or two to realize how well he has prepared us for what we are about to take on! It wasn't long after the training wheels came off that my son started to create 'jumps' out of old pieces of wood stacked upon each other and sent himself sailing over the edges. At that point, I had to pull him back a little - demotion of sorts. Why? He wasn't ready for those jumps and those jumps weren't all that solidly put together. There are times when God pulls us back a little, and we might think it is so 'unfair' of him to do so, but realize this...he probably knows we are about to get pretty bunged up in the ordeal if we continue as we have been going!

My son eventually learned to jump those ramps, but I urged a little better construction (with actual nails holding those pieces of wood together). I also urged a little more 'lift' on his front tire so he'd not hit the ramp and jut forward, knocking out his pretty white teeth! What did I see that he didn't? The 'dynamics' of his movement and position. I could see because I wasn't the one riding the bike. I could observe his lean, hesitation, and even his speed. I could see that he tried to pull back on the front tire too early, not making connection with the ramp before he did. I could instruct him what to do to change the outcome of that jump. God does the same for us - while it may feel like a little bit of a demotion to just stop what we are doing and listen to him for a while, we can learn how to avoid a whole lot of unpleasant 'recovery time' if we do! Just sayin!

Coming and going....

I raise my eyes toward the mountains.  Where will my help come from?

2 

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

3 

God won’t let your foot slip. Your protector won’t fall asleep on the job.

4 

No! Israel’s protector never sleeps or rests!

5 

The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shade right beside you.

6 

The sun won’t strike you during the day; neither will the moon at night.

7 

The Lord will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life.

8 

The Lord will protect you on your journeys—whether going or coming—

    from now until forever from now. 

(Psalm 121 CEB)

I once read something by a poet about closing one's eyes at night and all seems to become "dead" with the enclosure of darkness, but also of the tremendous miracle of opening one's eyes the next day to the newness of life where all seems to once again be reborn. It was kind of an amazing thought to consider our times of slumber as that which bring rebirth or newness in such a way - death to the old and life to the new, so to speak. We need this "slumber" at times in not just a physical sense. If we equate the closing of one's eyes as a chance to "reset" what it is we see, then every opportunity for a "closure" within one season of a relationship can be the "opening" of another one!

I read a post this morning from a friend who has moved away, so my only way of remaining connected with her over the miles is often in her posts. She was celebrating the beauty of roses - not so much because they were open and fragrant - but because of the gentleman who has won her heart! One door closed in order for another to open. One job ended in order for another to begin. One relationship brought pain, but another has opened up to the newness of joy once again for my friend. I was truly celebrating with her, as well!

Whether coming or going, God's eyes never shut on our lives. His tender mercies are new with each new day and even with each new breath! While this may sometimes go overlooked by us until we take time out of our busy lives, once we just "shut down" for a little while, we realize just how much God's restorative and keeping power have been at work in our lives. It may be in the realm of energies for the tasks at hand all the way to the restorative power of helping us be ready and rightly placed for new relationships. Regardless of "how" his mercies come into our lives - they are sufficient to meet all our needs and are evidence of his great care for his kids!

Our comings and our goings - both are in his care. Our beginnings and our endings - both are within his design when our lives are positioned to follow in his steps. Just sayin!

Fenced in?

To care for something is more than just giving it a little attention now and again. I came home yesterday to find a beautiful husky just sitting on the curb outside my home.  At first I didn't know if she was friendly or going to be kind of stand-offish with me.  After pulling into the garage and seeing she didn't run away, I asked her to come over and to my surprise, she did!  She immediately cowered down, rolled over and let me give her a few good rubs, scratches, and a little ear jostling.  No tags, just a collar.  Someone obviously claimed her as a pet, but were they caring for her all that well?  Not at the moment! She was free to roam and now I had to decide where she needed to roam back to!  It didn't take me long to identify an open gate at a neighbor's home, recall they had two dogs, and then equate the open gate with the escaped dog.  What did take a while was getting them to open the door to actually tell them their dog was roaming the neighborhood!  Once they knew the dog had been out, they immediately went to the gate to see that it was secured.  The truth is pretty similar in some of our lives - we don't really know how much we care for something until it is about lost out from under our noses!

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always. He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name. (Psalm 23:1-3 VOICE)

Thank goodness God isn't like us!  He doesn't wait for one of us to "escape the confines" of the place he thinks we are to actually become concerned with where we are at the moment. In fact, he ensures the boundaries are secure before he ever places us there!  He does observe our cleverness in trying to escape those safety confines and he often reminds us in a gentle manner to remain within those confines.  God knows our whereabouts and our activities at every moment of the day - even when we think he may not be "watching" or really paying enough attention to "care about" whatever it is we are facing.

Mom wants to see me off in the mornings as I make my way into the garage and off to work.  We have a small step down in the garage about three to four feet away from the doorway. It doesn't seem like much, but when you are legally blind even a three to four inch drop-off can be your undoing - especially when your balance is also compromised by age!  I often tell her I will not pull away from the garage until I see she is safely back up on the stoop and near the door itself. Why?  I hate thinking she could be out there all day if she stumbles and cannot get up.  It hasn't happened yet, but there is always that potential she will slightly misjudge the location of that step and down she goes!  God knows where we have the potential for any misstep or misjudged step in life.  He is watchful over us to ensure we aren't getting too close to the edge of what could spell certain disaster, or at least compromised safety for us.  He isn't content to just let us be "on our own" without also providing some level of continual "oversight" for the path we are on.

In the case of the dog escaped from the yard, nothing bad happened because she didn't wander far from the security of her yard.  She did get a little taste of "freedom" though, so she might be tempted to do it again and again. It is kind of like that for us in life - we push the envelope a little and get a little taste of something which is maybe a little different than we expected, but it also doesn't "burn us too badly" when we are outside of those safety confines God has placed, so we want to do it again.  We might want to "push the envelope" a little more and more until we get burned bad enough to stop what it is we are doing.  As with the neighbor's dog, "gates" and "fences" can be breached - God won't keep us from what we are determined to do.  He will not enforce his will over ours. If the neighbor were to force his will over the dog's, he might chain her to a stake driven way into the ground, as well as place her within the confines of the fence and gate.  That would eventually break her will!  God isn't into breaking our will, but he is into teaching us to trust his will!

His will places the boundaries for our safety.  Our will has to decide if we will stay within them.  His will determines the breadth of our "safety zone", but our will has to determine to exercise our choices within that zone if we are to remain in a place of safety.  Our will to choose doesn't cease to exist just because we come under the care of another - we just submit our will to the watchfulness and care of the other!  Just sayin!

It is raining!

"Sometimes when you're in a dark place, you think you have been buried, but actually you've been planted."  (Positive Hits PER on Facebook)  I saw this on the Facebook feed this past week and just wanted to take a moment to give that one a little thought.  My BFF said something similar the other day when she said, "Sometimes we pray for the rain to come, then we complain bitterly when it starts to storm."  She definitely nailed that one on the head, didn't she?  There are times we want so badly for things to change because it seems like the worst possible place we could be in, but then all of a sudden something comes a long to show us we weren't in all that bad of a place to begin with!  The darkest places in our lives are not to be dreaded or overlooked for their significance - for they may just be the place transition and growth occurs!

Those planted in the house of the Eternal will thrive in the courts of our God.  (Psalm 92:13 VOICE)

The rains come, not in the absence of the storm, but in the midst of it.  The seed produces the plant, not in the absence of darkness, but in the presence of the careful planting of the one who knows how to nurture growth from the soil in which it is planted.  We may not agree with God's methodologies some times, but they are quite effective, aren't they?  I often stop to consider the darkest places, not focusing on how dark they seem, but to look for the evidence of light breaking through!  

Some things I'd like us to keep in mind as we go through our day today:

1. We have a caring God watching over our lives - nothing will escape his watchful eye.  We may want to stop cursing the place we are in right now and consider if it is perhaps by God's design we have been placed there!  His movement in our lives is with intent and determined purpose.  His actions on our behalf are never without love - even if they seem to place us in the darkest place for a short while.

2. Our perspective is often keeping us focused on the darkness around us - feeling like the walls have closed in around us.  What we often need the most is just to close our eyes to the darkness and see the face of God - for he resides in us and when we stop for a moment to consider his peace deep within, we will see his face and revel in his presence with us.

3. To be planted is one thing - to thrive is quite another. The one who tends our lives is the one who determines the growth which will come forth.  If we want to be the ones tending to the planting, we will likely be disappointed by what is produced.  If we allow him to tend what has been carefully planted within our lives, he will bring forth growth way beyond what we could ever imagine possible.

4. The presence of darkness doesn't mean there is an absence of light.  Light resides within - we are never without light - even in the darkness of storm, or the closeness of the walls which would seek to confine us.

5. Darkness need not stunt our growth.  A seed has to die before it can bring forth the evidence of life.  We often need to surrender our "willfulness" in order to realize the evidence of his character becoming our own.  

Just consider the storm and the darkness another source of his carefulness over your lives!  Just sayin!

Ever stop to consider....

Do you take for granted things like the consistency of the sunrise or the predictability of the phases of the moon?  Most of us probably do unless we make our living predicting something based on their predictability.  If we were to stop for just a couple of minutes and consider what the scriptures declare about the sun and moon, we might just be amazed all over again at the next sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moon!  Why?  They are simply doing what they were designed to do - to keep telling the wonders of God and declaring boldly what he has done!  They declare his creative power and his ability to sustain all things with nothing more than the sound of his voice!  This should give us cause to pause for just a few moments to consider his greatness and to bask in his brilliance!

The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done.   Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next.   They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice.  Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world.  In the heavens a tent is set up for the sun.  It rises like a bridegroom and gets ready like a hero eager to run a race.  It travels all the way across the sky.  Nothing hides from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6 CEV)

When we think of the sun and the moon, we are to consider them as "declarations" of God's continued care for each of us.  Without a word, the sun sets and the moon takes its place in the sky.  Without a sound, the sun begins the slow journey from somewhere below the horizon into the majesty of the sky above.  In the passage of hours, it finds itself lingering just along the opposite horizon, giving that final glow of daylight as the moon sets about the path it will keep during those ensuing nighttime hours.  No announcement is heard - no words are spoken - yet the brilliance of the sun's brightness and the faithfulness of the moon's passage tell of the faithfulness of our God.

Scripture tells us if we don't tell of his faithfulness, even nature will declare it.  The message we declare is heralded by the brightness of day and the heralding of the night hours.  The world is without excuse when it comes to knowing there is a God - for even the things we take so much for granted declare his faithfulness and grace.  Without the sun, we would be launched into perpetual darkness and frigid temperatures.  Without the brilliance of those rays beating down on plants below, the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen would never occur.  Apart from their faithful coming and going, all life as we know it would cease to follow its pattern of life.  Even us!

We take for granted things which God has taken so much care to prepare and preserve for our well-being.  I am not a "save the whales" or "stop hunting the seals" kind of girl, nor do I hug trees and tell make-up manufacturers to stop killing the animals.  I do have an appreciation for the majesty of what God has created and the tremendous amount of care he put into the handiwork each object of his creative power exhibits.  Whether it is you or I that is being considered as his handiwork, or the tree fully in bloom with magnificent magnolia blooms filling the air with their sweet smell, or the seeming ease at which the humpback whale rises from the depths below - God is declared to be GOD in all of these things.

Stop to consider these wonders now and again.  As you do, think a little deeper into the mystery of these objects.  We don't really know what keeps the sun and moon in their places in the skies above, although scientists have studied their existence and course for years and years.  We don't really know how they came to be, although scripture declares clearly their existence is clearly from God's hand - created from nothing - something we cannot comprehend with our finite minds.  

I was pondering how consistent the sun is in coming and going every day.  Some days reveal the passage of those bright rays in shorter spans than others, depending upon the time of year we observe their presence.  Maybe this is because God wants us to recognize there are times when we need to bring rest to the earth and seasons when productive growth are to occur.  Maybe this is symbolic of how we go through seasons of tremendous growth, followed by what seems like times of coolness and barrenness.  Those aren't times of barrenness my friends - they are times of preparation - for in those moments when the days seem darker, our hearts are being prepared for the returning of the brilliance of those productive seasons soon to break upon the horizon of our lives!

No announcement is necessary for the sun to take its place high above us - but know this - God's care is behind the dependability of its rising and setting!  Just as consistent as he is with the care he takes in arranging for the sun to take its course high above us, his care over our lives may be depended upon because his carefulness over our lives and the course we take within them is for more important to him!  Just sayin!

Not the "how", but the "who" - the order of the letters makes all the difference

I don't fully understand the "watchful" ability of God - because at best I can only keep my eye on a couple things at one time - and even then I am just barely keeping up with things.  Don't believe me, then recount the last time you were cutting up something on the counter, while a pot was coming to a boil on the stove, and the sudden alertness it created when you heard that sound of the hot water hitting the stove top with a loud sizzle.  You were right there, and it stilled boiled over!  You were "watchful" over the entire dinner, but it stilled managed to escape your attention that the pot's contents were at the point of coming right over the edges of the pot!  Yes, we are watchful, but our watchfulness is nothing like the omnipresence of God - his ever-present, all-seeing watchful presence.  I don't just believe it is his vantage point in the heavenlies which gives him the great ability to be watchful over all mankind at one time.  I think it might just have to do with the fact he created all things, knows exactly how all things work, and that little appreciated fact that he is GOD!  

Great blessings belong to those who have the Lord as their God!  He chose them to be his own special people.  The Lord looked down from heaven and saw all the people.  From his high throne he looked down at all the people living on earth.   He created every person’s mind, and he knows what each one is doing. A king is not saved by the power of his army.  A soldier does not survive by his own great strength.  Horses don’t really bring victory in war.  Their strength cannot help you escape.  The Lord watches over his followers, those who wait for him to show his faithful love.  He saves them from death.  He gives them strength when they are hungry.  So we will wait for the Lord.  He helps us and protects us.  He makes us happy.  We trust his holy name.  Lord, we worship you, so show your great love for us. (Psalm 33:12-22 ERV)

If we re-read our passage again, we won't want to skip over the opening words about great blessings belonging to those who have the Lord as their God.  It is more than knowing there is a God, or that he loves us.  It is more about "having" him as our Lord - one who is owner of our lives and in full control of our actions.  We cannot just "know about" him - we actually have to be in relationship with him to understand and appreciate the blessings he has provided for our lives.  This gives us a different vantage point ourselves - not making us omnipresent or omniscient (everywhere present or all-knowing), but it does give us the presence of God moving with us in our lives (the one who is all-present and all-knowing).

It is also important to be mindful that God created our minds - he knows very well how they work, what their limitations are, and how vastly creative they can be at times.  He knows how thoughts are formed, what influences them, and when they can carry us into action or paralyze us into motionless inaction. It might just be this knowledge of how we think and where our thoughts have the capacity to take each of us that makes it so easy for him to know what each one of us is doing or about to do.  Since there is no new thought under the sun where God is concerned, when we head down a certain path of thought, he knows exactly where that will lead.  This is why we can trust him when he gives us that little niggling inside which says to just stop now.  He knows the path isn't going to produce something good for our lives.

We might somehow assume we are able to accomplish things in our own power or by our own great skill.  Truth is - - - at best our skill is far below that of the Creator's!  In this case, it is pretty much advisable we look to him for the sorting out of our affairs and the keeping of watch over our lives.  He is indeed the one who turns the heads of the kings to do his bidding and the feet of the soldiers to overcome in battle.  We cannot lose sight of the faithful love of God for it will never lose sight of us!  We are saved from death - both spiritual and physical - by his watchful eye and strong arm.  We are made full on the delightful bounty of his prepared feast - both physically and spiritually.  We enjoy great privilege in his presence.

Our part is two-fold:  1) We enter into this relationship with open hearts and open minds; and 2) We continue on in this relationship, waiting for his every move.  God doesn't spoon feed us through life, but he prepares a bounty for our sustenance.  We go to the places we know we will find his "prepared food" - like to the Word of God in times of study and contemplation.  We don't just sit there like birds in a nest and hope a worm will drop into our mouths!  This is part of "continuing on" in relationship with Jesus - we go where he directs, prepared for what he has provided for us, and then we enjoy the sustenance he provides. We might not understand the "how" behind what it is God does for us in this life, but we can appreciate the "who" behind every action on our behalf!  Just sayin!

Sermon Lessons: Care

 ⁷"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for."

(Matthew 5:7 - The Message Bible)

^17-18Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

(James 3:17-18)

Some translations will state this verse as "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy."  I like how the Message interprets this - at the moment you are "care-full" - you find yourselves cared for.  There is a saying that we reap what we sow.  This is so true.  Sow seeds of "care" and you will always reap a reward of being cared for.

When we are "care-full" (full of care), we are looking out for the other guy.  There is an extension of our lives that looks beyond what is in it for us and sees that there are others around us that need to be "cared for" in the midst of the day's challenges.  James is so "right on" when he says that true "community" is built upon living right with God - but he is also forthright to let us know that this is HARD WORK.  

Extending mercy - being able to care for another's thoughts, opinions, or desires - in the midst of not understanding why it is that they are acting a particular way is sometimes quite challenging.  We don't "naturally" want to respond with "care" or "mercy"!  In fact, if we were totally honest here, we'd probably like to tell them off!  James presents some "community-traits" that we have an opportunity to focus on today that will help us to always be "care-full" in our dealings with each other.

First, we are gentle with each other.  Two words describe this trait - compassionate and considerate.  We avoid severe, rough, condescending responses - even when the other guy may be struggling with these responses themselves.  It is the idea of turning the other cheek.  Rising above the emotion of the moment and extending a kindness where it may be least deserved.


Second, we are reasonable in our dealings.  Simply put, this means that we exercise sound judgment.  We don't respond "out of proportion" to the circumstances at hand.  In other words, we don't get caught up in the emotion and allow those emotions to stir us into responses that are disproportionate to the facts!  Emotion often outruns reason!  We respond out of emotion, without all the facts, and then wonder why we have no sense of "community"!


Last, but not least, we are consistent.  James puts it as not being hot one day and cold the next.  Whenever we ride the roller-coaster of being okay one day and then out of sync the next, we always struggle to keep "community" together.  Learning to bring balance, order, and proportionate response to circumstances goes a long way to keeping us on even ground.


Dignity and honor - the hallmarks of a strong community relationship - are the outcome of learning to live "care-full" lives.  Is your "care-cup" filled to overflowing today?

Running Roughshod

^6-7Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside.

(I Thessalonians 4:6-7)

There are times in our day-to-day "plodding" through life that we overlook the needs of others, show ourselves insensitive to their plight in life, or are just plain oblivious to the heartache of our neighbors because we are just way too caught up in our own lives.  Sometimes our "overlooking" of the other's need is not intentional, but a product of the "busy-ness" of our day that results in us not being very open to seeing what is creating huge pain for another.  There are other times, though, when we are quite aware that another is in pain and we simply don't want to invest the time, energy, or "heart" to reach out to them.  

Our passage today focuses on a warning - "Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters."  The idea of "running roughshod" is really easily divided into three defining characteristics:

• Actions or attitudes that inflict pain or suffering - these can be purposeful or unintentional, but nonetheless, by their very expression, they cause the other to experience pain or suffering.
• Being unjustly overbearing and domineering - the tendency to be "on top", demand one's own way, or to tell someone how to live their life is probably a good descriptor of this type of behavior.
• Callous inconsideration or harshness - this carries the idea of actions and responses that are simply unkind, meant to hurt, or are just plain rude.

The warning is to NOT display these types of behaviors or attitudes because it minimizes the needs of our fellow man and limits the development of strong relationships in which we can find the source of counsel, wisdom, and support we need to face life's challenges.

Why are we given this warning?  Our passage tells us that God views their concerns as HIS concerns.  When we minimize them, ignore them, or treat them as though they are not worthy of our attention, we are saying that what God takes very seriously is insignificant to us.  Ouch!  Let me be the first to admit that I have "run roughshod" over some of the needs of my friends on occasion (I hope it has not been too often).  In almost every case, it has been unintentional, but it has made an impression on that individual that takes some time to overcome.  By my actions (or inactivity), I have damaged the reputation of a caring and loving God.

As we begin our year, it would benefit us to ask God to help us "start differently" so that we might "finish differently".  I am not referring to a resolution here - but a genuine commitment to God to "display him" differently in our lives this year.  God honors that kind of request.  He is open to creating his image in us - perfecting it at every turn - until we finally exhibit consistency in our expression of his love, grace, and care for a hurting world.

God wants to take our disorderly, unkempt lives and turn them into something of beauty that reflects him ACCURATELY to those within our company.  His goal is to change us on the inside - thereby, impacting what others see on the outside.  So, if we need a little "house cleaning" on the inside, this is the time to allow God to begin that process - righting, ordering, and cleaning up what needs his touch.  In so doing, we begin to reflect his image with a clarity that those within our lives soon begin to see as a symbol of hope for their own needs.